title: Subjective quality of life and suicidal behavior among Taiwanese schizophrenia patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research of suicidal behavior in individuals with schizophrenia has often suggested that clinical characteristics and symptoms likely influence a patient's suicidal risk. However, there is a lack of research describing the link between patients' subjective quality of life (SQOL) and suicidal behavior in non-Western countries. Therefore, the current study attempts to explore how schizophrenia patients' SQOL and their suicidal behavior are related in a Taiwanese sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 102 schizophrenia outpatients were investigated using the Taiwanese World Health Organization Quality of Life Schedule-Brief Version (WHO-QOL-BREF-TW), several Beck-Related symptom rating scales, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for psychopathology. These patients were also evaluated for suicidal risk using the critical items of the Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI) and lifetime suicide attempts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical analyses, including independent sample t tests, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and logistic stepwise regression models were completed. Compared with the non-suicidal group, suicidal patients had significantly lower scores in SQOL domains. The differences in social domain remained significant after adjusting for depressive symptoms. In multiple logistic regression analyses, level of depressive and psychotic symptoms increased and poor social and psychological SQOL were significant contributors to suicidal behavior. Having removed depressive symptoms from the model, only dissatisfaction with social SQOL was associated with heightened suicidal risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Schizophrenia is associated with a high suicidal risk, of which depressive and psychotic symptoms are the major correlates. Again, the present study confirms and extends previous research showing that dissatisfied SQOL, particularly dissatisfaction with social relationships, should be considered in the assessment of suicidal risk in outpatients with schizophrenia, even when accounting other possible confounding factor such as depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Songshan Armed Forces General Hospital, No. 131, Jiankang RD., Songshan District, Taipei 10581, Taiwan, Republic of China. freud001@ms45.hinet.net
authors.forename: Yu-Chen
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Yia-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Tsung-Hsing
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Ming-Kuen
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012923:Social Class; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology